1. Technical Field
This invention generally relates to tooling and to tooling for mounting tires to wheels.
2. Description of the Related Art
Typical tire/wheel assembly may incorporate one or more automated wheel/tire assembly lines to mount tires onto wheels. This process can involve, amongst other operations, mounting the tire onto the wheel, inflating the wheel to the proper pressure, and balancing the tire/wheel assembly. Some of these operations, if not all, can be done using automated means such as robots or the like. One common approach used for mounting a tire to a wheel is to lay the tire on top of the wheel and then to press against the sidewall of a tire (using a roller wheel or the like) thereby pushing the tire onto the rim. Typically, the roller wheel is circumferentially moved along the sidewall of the tire during the installation operation. Another common technique is to use a guide shoe that fits between the edge of the wheel and the tire bead. The shoe rides along the edge of the wheel as it is rotated about the center axis of the wheel. As the shoe rides along the wheel cage it engages the tire bead and transitions the tire bead onto the wheel. Although roller wheels and guide shoes are commonly used for mounting tires to wheels, they have drawbacks. In the case of roller wheels, the sidewall portion of the tire can be susceptible to scratching, cutting, and otherwise defacing. In the case of guide shoes, because the shoe “rides” along the wheel edge it can abrade the wheel (especially if the wheel is aluminum). The present invention eliminates this problem of potentially damaging the sidewall portion of the tire or defacing the wheel during the mounting operation by eliminating contact between the installation tool and the sidewall portion of the tire and the wheel.